Judge says Donald Trump won’t give own closing argument at civil fraud trial after disputing rules

The Associated Press interviewed Christine Bartholomew for a story about Donald Trump giving his own closing argument for his civil fraud trial. Taking on a role usually performed by an attorney is dicey for any defendant, and summations are a last chance to try to show how the evidence from the trial has or hasn’t met legal requirements for proving the case. A closing argument isn’t constrained to the question-and-answer format of testimony. But “it’s absolutely not a free-for-all, Bartholomew said. “Unless you’re legally trained … the chance of a misstep is really, really high,” she said, adding that it’s “extra-risky” when a judge has already taken issue with a defendant’s conduct during the case.